Rocky school still backing corporal punishment

SURPRISED. That's what clinical psychologist Ash Summers felt when she heard that a Rockhampton school still carried out corporal punishment.

It was reported in southern media this week that Central Queensland Christian College is one of two non-government schools in the state and a handful in the country that still use this form of punishment.

The Bulletin understands that the school has in place a policy which allows a school representative to discipline a child after a thorough process has been gone through, which includes informing the parent, and it is done in the presence of an appropriate adult.

Associate Professor Summers, director of the Wellness Centre at CQUniversity, said while corporal punishment might be effective in getting children to do what adults want in the immediate term, it didn't teach them any new ways to manage their behaviour.

"It can teach children that aggression is an acceptable way of solving problems," Assoc Prof Summers said.

"There is little evidence that corporal punishment improves children's behaviour in the medium to long-term, or has any other positive effects on children."

Corporal punishment was phased out of state schools in Queensland in 1992 and abolished from 1995.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR

There is a huge amount of evidence that positive approaches are singularly the best and most effective way of improving behaviour:

Boundaries are important; set clear boundaries and rules

Enforce the boundaries

Giving consequences other than physical punishment (such as withdrawing 'screen' time) and being consistent